Holiday parks leaders in their field

Several holiday parks from around the
country have been honoured for their innovation and
hospitality at the recent Holiday Parks Conference.

AA Spirit of Hospitality Award

Winner:
Mercury Bay Holiday Park, Whitianga

Little things that can
make a huge difference to their guests’ experience added
up to the prestigious AA Spirit of Hospitality Award for
Helena and Craig Stratford of Mercury Bay Holiday Park,
Whitianga.

“Jump starting cars, lending spades to dig
soak holes at the famous Hot Water Beach, booking boat trips
and restaurants, recommending things to see and do, charging
mobile phones and changing tyres are just a few of the
things their guests have said they have appreciated,” AA
Tourism Publishing Limited General Manager Moira Penman
says.

“This award emphasises the importance of
world class customer service and acknowledges those who are
providing their guests with an exceptional
experience.”

Outstanding Contribution to the
Holiday Park Sector

Winner: Kay and Dave Roche,
Bowentown Beach Holiday Park

It’s a team effort for Kay
and Dave Roche of Bowentown Beach Holiday Park. Mr and Mrs
Roche are the first couple to win the award for Outstanding
Contribution to the Holiday Park Sector.

The couple have
been actively involved in the tourism and holiday park
business for close to 30 years and are well known for going
the extra mile to help others across the sector.

“If any
holiday park in the region is having a problem, we know we
can call on Kay and Dave. They’ll drop everything and do
all they can to help out,” Mr Brown says.

The couple are
widely known for the support, advice and friendship they
show others in the sector, both new and established
operators. They have been mentors to many and are dedicated
to furthering the cause of the holiday park sector.

They
were instrumental in establishing one of our marketing
groups and invested their time to get the project going, Mr
Brown says.

They have travelled to the Queensland Caravan
annual show for the last four years at their own expense to
represent the whole of the holiday park sector. This show
runs for a week and attracts more than 70,000 visitors, so
their attendance is a significant benefit to all new Zealand
holiday parks.

Last year, Bowentown Beach Holiday Park
raised $6615 for the HAPNZ charity, Breast Cancer Research
Trust – the second biggest sum raised by a single park for
the year.

Tourism Industry Association (TIA)
Innovation Award

Winner: All Seasons Holiday
Park, Rotorua

A collection of life-size dinosaurs won the
TIA Innovation Award for All Seasons Holiday Park, Rotorua.
The park has created a Dinosaur Garden as an educational and
fun family activity.

Each dinosaur can be identified with
the aid of a ‘clue sheet’ the park provides.

“Kids
of all ages spend hours running around figuring out what
each one is. Parents love this as it keeps the kids amused,
giving them time to set up a tent, cook dinner, or just
relax,” Mr Brown says.

“It’s a fun holiday activity
for families and gives them another reason to visit the
park.”

The dinosaurs are also available for adoption by
individuals and businesses to help the park raise money for
the HAPNZ charity, Breast Cancer Research
Trust.

President’s Award for Contribution to the
Community – sponsored by TIA

Winner: Waiteti
Trout Stream Holiday Park, Ngongotaha

Waiteti Trout Stream
Holiday Park’s successful efforts to improve the Waiteti
Stream earned it the President’s Award for Contribution to
the Community.

Much of the park’s 147m of stream
frontage was badly eroded. After a significant flood in
August 2012 a Riparian Management Plan was agreed with the
Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

The key objectives were
to:

• Protect and enhance soil and water conservation
values in the Lake Rotorua catchment• • Improve
the resilience of the Waiteti Stream bank and adjacent land
against flooding to reduce erosion and sedimentation to Lake
Rotorua• • Recover some eroded land and protect
the lower camp sites from flood damage.• The total
cost for the work was $41,752 – the regional council paid
25% with the balance paid by the holiday park.

“That’s
a significant expense for any business but the park has been
able to recover some eroded land which means some sites are
now 3-4m2 larger. The work has also helped reduce the impact
of floods on the neighbouring Waiteti Marae,” Mr Brown
says.

“The investment will enhance the park’s usage
and value.”

Michael Thorne of Waiteti Trout Stream
Holiday Park also won a special President’s Award for his
work coordinating the parks in the Rotorua
area.

Jasons Smart Business
Award

Winner: Taupo DeBretts Spa Resort

A range
of innovations and improvements saw Taupo DeBretts Spa
Resort win the Jasons Smart Business Award. These include
the establishment of an advisory board of leaders in
different disciplines to support the business
decisions.

The park has also introduced a cloud-based
property management system which allows guests to select
rooms or sites to ensure they are located with friends or
next to playground facilities. The system also records
guests’ contact details, which has helped Taupo DeBretts
to grow their marketing database to over 450,000
people.

The appointment of a purchasing officer has
improved the park’s stock control and achieved an average
of 18% better purchasing pricing.

Another initiative has
seen the park contract a 24/7 call centre which has resulted
in the number of missed calls dropping from 650 per month to
0.

In recognition of the growing Chinese market, the park
has employed two Mandarin speaking team members and
integrated with Chinese social media platforms, Weibo and
Wechat.

“Taupo DeBretts demonstrates that a range of
relatively small initiatives can make a big difference and
keep the business on the leading edge,” Mr Brown
says.

Seekom Innovation in Online Marketing
Award

Winner: Te Anau Kiwi Holiday Park

Efforts
to support the fast-growing Chinese visitor market have seen
Te Anau Kiwi Holiday Park win a national award for online
marketing.

The park was named as winner of the Seekom
Innovation in Online Marketing Award at the recent Holiday
Parks Conference.

Recognising that the number of visitors
from China was growing quickly, the park decided to produce
a Chinese language page on its website http://teanaukiwiholidaypark.co.nz/ to make it easier for Chinese
travellers.

As a result, the park is getting more Chinese
bookings directly via the website rather than through other
booking channels.

“This award shows that you do not have
to be technically clever to get an online innovation
award,” Holiday Parks Association New Zealand (HAPNZ)
Chief Executive Fergus Brown says.

“It’s relatively
simple to add Chinese or other language pages to a website
yet they are still the exception rather than the norm. We
hope more properties will follow Te Anau Kiwi Holiday
Park’s lead in welcoming those visitors whose first
language is not English.”

* About 300 delegates
attended the 2014 Holiday Parks Conference at the
Marlborough Convention Centre, 23-26 June. The event is
estimated to be worth about $500,000 to the local
economy.

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